1 When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off and went their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. 5 David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod here to me."

Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?"

He answered him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all."

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor. 11 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink. 12 They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where are you from?"

He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick. 14 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."

15 David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this troop?"

He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop."

16 When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken. David brought them all back. 20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, "This is David’s plunder."

21 David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows of those who went with David answered and said, "Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away and depart."

23 Then David said, "Do not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays with the baggage. They shall share alike." 25 It was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, "Behold, a present for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies." 27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir, 28 to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach, 31 to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.

1 En toe Dawid met sy manne die derde dag by Siklag aankom, het die Amalekiete 'n inval gedoen in die Suidland en in Siklag, en hulle het Siklag verslaan en dit met vuur verbrand.

2 En hulle het die vroue en almal wat daarin was, gevange weggevoer, van die kleinste af tot die grootste toe; hulle het niemand gedood nie, maar hulle weggevoer en verder gegaan.

3 Toe Dawid met sy manne die stad inkom, lê dit daar met vuur verbrand, en hulle vroue en hulle seuns en hulle dogters was as gevangenes weggevoer.

4 Daarop het Dawid en die manskappe wat by hom was, hulle stem verhef en geween totdat daar geen krag meer in hulle was om te ween nie.

5 Ook Dawid se twee vroue, Ah¡noam uit J¡sreël, en Ab¡gail, die vrou van Nabal, die Karmeliet, was as gevangenes weggevoer.

6 En Dawid het dit baie benoud gehad, want die manskappe het gepraat om hom te stenig; want die siel van al die manskappe was verbitterd, elkeen oor sy seuns en sy dogters; maar Dawid het homself versterk in die HERE sy God.

7 En Dawid sê vir Abjatar, die priester, die seun van Ahim,leg: Bring tog die skouerkleed vir my hier. Daarop het Abjatar die skouerkleed na Dawid gebring.

8 En Dawid het die HERE geraadpleeg en gesê: Sal ek hierdie bende agternajaag? Sal ek dit inhaal? En Hy sê vir hom: Agtervolg, want jy sal sekerlik inhaal en sekerlik uitred.

9 Daarop het Dawid weggetrek, hy met die ses honderd man wat by hom was; en toe hulle by die spruit Besor kom, het die origes agtergebly.

10 Dawid het naamlik agtervolg, hy met vier honderd man, terwyl twee honderd man agtergebly het wat te moeg was om die spruit Besor deur te trek.

11 Toe vind hulle in die veld 'n Egiptenaar wat hulle na Dawid bring, en hulle gee hom brood om te eet en water om te drink.

12 Daarby gee hulle hom 'n stuk vyekoek en twee rosynekoeke. En toe hy geëet het, het hy weer bygekom; want hy het drie dae en drie nagte geen brood geëet of water gedrink nie.

13 En Dawid vra hom: Aan wie behoort jy? En waar kom jy vandaan? En hy sê: Ek is 'n Egiptiese seun, die slaaf van 'n Amalekitiese man, en my heer het my laat agterbly, omdat ek drie dae gelede siek geword het.

14 Ons het 'n inval gedoen in die Suidland van die Kretiërs en in die van Juda en in die Suidland van Kaleb, en Siklag met vuur verbrand.

15 En Dawid vra hom: Sal jy my afbring na hierdie bende? En hy sê: Sweer vir my by God dat u my nie sal doodmaak en my nie sal uitlewer in die hand van my heer nie; dan sal ek u afbring na hierdie bende.

16 En toe hy hom afgebring het, lê hulle daar verstrooid oor die oppervlakte van die hele land, besig om te eet en te drink en fees te vier met die ganse groot buit wat hulle uit die land van die Filistyne en uit die land Juda saamgeneem het.

17 En Dawid het hulle verslaan van die aandskemering af tot die aand van die volgende dag, sodat niemand van hulle vrygeraak het nie, behalwe vier honderd jongmanne wat op kamele gespring en gevlug het.

18 So het Dawid dan alles gered wat die Amalekiete saamgeneem het; ook sy twee vroue het Dawid bevry.

19 Niks van hulle is vermis nie -- klein of groot, seuns of dogters, of iets van die buit, niks van alles wat hulle vir hul saamgeneem het nie; Dawid het alles teruggebring.

20 En Dawid het al die kleinvee en beeste afgeneem. Hulle het hul voor die ander vee gedrywe en gesê: Dit is Dawid se buit.

21 Toe Dawid by die twee honderd man kom wat te moeg was om agter Dawid aan te gaan en wat hulle by die spruit Besor laat bly het, trek hulle uit, Dawid en die manskappe wat by hom was, tegemoet; en Dawid het met die manskappe nader gekom en hulle na die welstand gevra.

22 Daarop het al die slegte mense en die deugniete uit die manne wat met Dawid saamgegaan het, begin sê: Omdat hulle nie met ons saamgegaan het nie, sal ons hulle nie van die buit wat ons afgeneem het, gee nie; maar hulle kan elkeen sy vrou en sy kinders saamneem en weggaan.

23 Maar Dawid het gesê: Julle mag nie so maak nie, my broers, met wat die HERE ons gegee het, en Hy het ons bewaar en die bende wat ons oorval het, in ons hand gegee.

24 En wie sou in hierdie saak na julle luister? Want soos die deel van die wat in die geveg aftrek, so is ook die deel van die wat by die pakgoed bly; gelykop moet hulle deel.

25 So is dit dan van die dag af en verder gewees; ja, hy het dit as 'n insetting en 'n verordening vir Israel vasgestel tot vandag toe.

26 Toe Dawid dan in Siklag aankom, het hy van die buit aan die oudstes van Juda, sy stamgenote, gestuur en gesê: Hier is 'n geskenk vir julle uit die buit van die vyande van die HERE:

27 aan die in Bet-el en aan die in Ramot in die Suidland en aan die in Jattir

28 en aan die in Aroër en aan die in Sifmot en aan die in Estemoa

29 en aan die in Ragal en aan die in die stede van die Jeragmeëliete en aan die in die stede van die Keniete

30 en aan die in Horma en aan die in Bor-Asan en aan die in Atag

31 en aan die in Hebron en aan al die plekke waar Dawid, hy en sy manne, rondgetrek het.